If Broken City – the first film to be directed solo by Allen Hughes, one-half of the Hughes Brothers directing team – is a little flawed and cracked itself, it still squeaks by as a reasonably thoughtful piece of big-screen entertainment.

Hughes visual choices can feel borrowed and clichéd, but his regard for beauty often compensates for his blunders, as does the sturdy, reliable appeal of another story of good and evil, men and women, light and dark, glass and steel, sex and power. As it turns out, there are eight million and one stories in the naked city.

Competent but juiceless New York melodrama, an unpersuasive marriage of head-slamming action and middling civic intrigue that treats issues like gay rights and public housing as red herrings rather than actual talking points.

Quality-wise, the crime drama Broken City lives in a frustrating mid-range area: It's too complex and competently crafted to dismiss as junk -- but it's also nowhere near sharp enough to work as the serious grown-up detective movie it clearly wants to be.

There are plot twists galore, but they unfold in ham-fisted fashion, as if the screenwriter (newbie Brian Tucker) didn't know how to layer the mystery. Instead, the movie simply drops these secrets out of nowhere, in clunky fashion.

Do not miss out on this movie! I thought Marky Mark would just be OK, but this movie will leave you breathless and Speachless at the sameDo not miss out on this movie! I thought Marky Mark would just be OK, but this movie will leave you breathless and Speachless at the same time. Should have been nominated for the Oscars.…Expand

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I thought this was a great movie. It is definitely one of those movies you have pay attention because there are a few plot twists. The one criticism I have is that there were a few slow parts and I thought there was going to be a little more action. But all in all a very good movie.…Expand

Broken City is a very good movie but it's not the type of movie I thought it would be. That's not to say the trailers misrepresented the filmBroken City is a very good movie but it's not the type of movie I thought it would be. That's not to say the trailers misrepresented the film in any way, only that Mark Wahlberg isn't known for his political thrillers. That being said, this was a very good political thriller with solid acting across the board, especially from Russell Crowe. The characters all developed well and the plot was great. The twists came about in a nice fashion, not out of left field where nobody could possibly see them coming, which has unfortunately become a trend in the increasingly uncreative Hollywood climate. The film did drag quite a bit and the ending felt a bit rushed when it happened but I'd say all-in-all this was a solid film that most people would enjoy.…Expand

Wahlberg sleepwalks through another feature role here. The movie drags and the plot becomes thin. Save yourself some time and watch an episodeWahlberg sleepwalks through another feature role here. The movie drags and the plot becomes thin. Save yourself some time and watch an episode of Law Order.…Expand

"Broken City" quickly descends into a quicksand of clichés, and the results are meager and completely insubstantial. This is a story about"Broken City" quickly descends into a quicksand of clichés, and the results are meager and completely insubstantial. This is a story about power and its abuse in the city, and there are a countless amount of films that have covered this storyline already.Though it's runtime clocks in at a compact 109 minutes, it feels much longer than that. It's never outright boring, but it lacks an accumulative impact.

Mark Wahlberg stars a Billy Taggart, a New York cop is forced to resign after a controversial shooting. But no worries, Mayor Nicholas Hostetler (Russell Crowe) has his back. He hires Billy, now a private investigator, to catch Mrs. Mayor (Catherine Zeta-Jones) screwing around. What seems like a simple adultery case opens a rat's nest of political corruption.

The plot quite simply is little confusing. Several subplots wander off into oblivion never to return. It's occasionally hard to tell whether the Hughes brothers are winking at clichés, or merely adhering to the genre handbook. The script written by newcomer Brian Tucker is a bloody mess that has no sense of direction. Throughout the film, we're led to believe there will be some big "shock" a twist or secret that will cause us to gasp in shock. When it comes, it's so muted and unsurprising that it completely diminishes the film's climax.

The characters are poorly developed, but the overall performances are generally fine. In the right role, Mark Wahlberg can be a tremendous asset to any movie. Unfortunately, Billy is not the right role. Wahlberg is stiff and unconvincing and it quickly becomes apparent that the film would have benefitted from someone with a more volcanic temperament in the lead. As his adversary, Russell Crowe brings a little more to the part, but this isn't the New Zealand-born actor's finest hour. Catherine Zeta-Jones, continuing her comeback from obscurity, does a fine job.

Although well-made, altogether the end result is an unremarkable thriller. "Broken City" fails to impress, largely in part because there is nothing here we haven't seen before. That being said, "Broken City" isn't a terrible film, it's just not particularly memorable.…Expand

A subpar movie from writing to directing. Drags on without obvious rewards.
The storyline is the age old cliche of "Mayor sells out the cityA subpar movie from writing to directing. Drags on without obvious rewards.
The storyline is the age old cliche of "Mayor sells out the city to developers for personal gain" ...
All the "twists" are really no surprise at all, and I agree with another commenter that with a cast of Catherine Zeta Jones and Russell Crowe, the movie could have been better.…Expand

Predictable and strangly poorly acted as well. I expected a lot more from these two. Maybe an aspect of a terrible script, screenplay,Predictable and strangly poorly acted as well. I expected a lot more from these two. Maybe an aspect of a terrible script, screenplay, direction, I can go on and on.…Collapse